Russia: Al-Nusra Assembles 6,000-strong Attack Force in Aleppo

Local Editor

The Russian Defense Ministry warned that al-Nusra Front [al-Qaeda terrorist branch in Syria] has gathered a force of some 6,000 militants in preparation for a major offensive in Syria's Aleppo province, as terrorists and their allies continue to disrupt the fragile US-Russian brokered ceasefire.

While 59 armed groups have joined the process of reconciliation, which began in February with the introduction of ceasefire, terrorist factions in Syria like Daesh [Arabic Acronym for the terrorist "ISIS"/"ISIL" group] and particularly al-Nusra Front continue their efforts to regain ground. The city of Aleppo, once a major stronghold of terrorists, remains a hot spot of al-Nusra activities.

"The escalation of the situation in a number of Syrian regions is first of all linked to the goal of the leaders of al-Nusra Front and factions allied with it to derail the process of reconciliation," head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, Lt.-Gen. Sergey Kuralenko, said in a statement on Monday.

"In the Aleppo region, al-Nusra Front leaders are finishing forming an assault group totaling over 6,000 militants in order to block the government troops in the city with a strike from the east, while in the north they seek to cut off access to the city of Nubl."

Besides Aleppo, terrorists also revitalized their efforts in the provinces of Latakia and Hama, in addition to the outskirts of Damascus. In Eastern Ghouta and Damascus' suburb of Darayya, al-Nusra fighters and groups aligned with them were able to regroup and reinforce their positions. Terrorist fighters have carried out the "replenishment of ammunition, weapons, and are ready to take on the offensive," said Kuralenko.

The Russian Reconciliation Center proposed the introduction of a 72-hour cease-fire starting Tuesday in areas of Eastern Ghouta and Darayya. At the same time the Russian side called on Washington to use their influence on groups often associated with Al-Nusra to flee the area and join the truce, stressing that Russian aircraft will continue to conduct strikes.

"Once again, we call on the American side to continue [to] work with moderate opposition units it controls to push them towards joining the ceasefire regime, providing [an] exact outline of the areas they control and pulling groups that observe the ceasefire terms out of territories taken by Jabhat al-Nusra and other international terrorist organizations," Kuralenko said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team